3 Minutes of Avatar: The Game - Not Very Horner-like

You've probably seen the recent in-game footage released for the highly anticipated video game tie-in for James Cameron's AVATAR. Seeing this footage, I'm reminded of LOST PLANET 2 (a game I can hardly wait to play). Not only that, but the in-game music sounds more like the work of JAMIE CHRISTOPHERSON, composer for Lost Planet and Lost Planet 2, than it does anything James Horner would ever do. Now, I'm not saying it's bad at all. The music seems to fit into the mold of the first or third person shooter well enough...just nothing extraordinary.

Given Cameron's desire to "connect" the game with the film, I'd expect that to roll over to the music as well. So what to make of this 3 minutes, then? Perhaps it's not the finished game score? I bet that it is. Perhaps, then, it actually is something along the lines that Horner has done for the film? I'd be fraggerghasted, if that's the case.

So I'm betting this is the actual in-game music. All that is left is to find out who the composer (or composers) are. Ubisoft, we're waiting.

Ubisoft Annouces Assassin's Creed 2, Avatar, and more!

Videogamer.com reports that Ubisoft has confirmed the upcoming releases of some major league stuff over a twelve-month period beginning in April of this year. What sort of major league titles and why are you even mentioning this? You say.


Well, to start the titles to be released include:

ASSASSIN'S CREED 2 . More great music from JESPER KYD perhaps?

SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION (speaking of this title, we interviewed the score composers, KAVEH COHEN and MICHAEL NIELSEN for this game waaaaaay back in 2008.

AVATAR (Tie-in game to James Cameron upcoming film that is supposed to change the world of movie-making). Will it pilfer James Horner's original score from the film or bring in some other composer? Oh...and the game is reportedly going to be in 3-D...shipped with 3-D glasses.


So Ubisoft is clearly doing its part to give us some decent games to look forward to...and some decent game scores.


Check out videogamer.com's brief report here

Composer Billy Martin to score Petz Sports: Dog Playground for Wii

The popular PETZ title from the Nintendo DS has broken loose and is coming to your Wii. In only the Wii-world can you play fetch will your virtual pet, race him against other dogs, skip rope with him, or just pet him. So just how do write music for something like this?

Composer Billy Martin knows, as he has signed to provide the music for the upcoming Wii title, PETZ SPORTS: DOG PLAYGROUND. Below is the official press release.



PRESS RELEASE

Billy Martin Scores Petz Sports: Dog Playground for Ubisoft

Los Angeles, October, 2008 - Composer Billy Martin (www.billymartinmusic.com.) has announced that he has composed all of the music for the upcoming Ubisoft game, Petz Sports: Dog Playground. Petz Sports will be available exclusively on the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo. Petz Sports gameplay will be designed to take advantage of the Wii system’s technology and full utilization of the Wii Remote™. Petz Sports is scheduled for release on November 4, 2008. A trailer for the game featuring Martin’s theme music is available at the Petz Press Portal.

Martin commented “the gameplay really lends itself to an upbeat, rhythm-section oriented approach for the music. I really enjoyed working with Ubisoft again on this title.”

Composer Billy Martin composes for new media with a range of projects for companies including Ubisoft, Sony Online, EA, and Disney Interactive. His recent scores include Petz Sports, Chicken Little, and EA Skate (additional music). A five-time G.A.N.G Award nominee, the Game Audio Network Guild presented Billy with a 2002 G.A.N.G Award "Best Edutainment/Children Audio" for his score to the PC game Disney/Pixar Learning 2nd & 3rd Grade w/Buzz Lightyear. For television, he wrote the theme for the long-running celebrity interview show Entertainers featuring Byron Allen. As a songwriter, he has contributed songs to feature films including Spiderman 2 and Selena while television series from Desperate Housewives to Sex and the City have also featured his lyrics and music.

Billy serves on the board of directors for the Society of Composers and Lyricists. He is represented by Bob Rice of Four Bars Intertainment. For more information visit www.billymartinmusic.com.

Assassin's Creed (Soundtrack) by Jesper Kyd

The year of 2007 has already turned out to be one of the best in terms of solid game score releases. That trend continues with composer JESPER KYD's original music for the highly anticipated game ASSASSIN'S CREED.

I have to admit that I've been hooked on the potential of this game since I saw one of the E3 trailers which featured the music of UNKLE, "Lonely Soul." Simply one of the most engaging game trailers I've seen to date.

The game itself certainly looks like another entry into the genre of "playable cinema" and I looking forward to "playing this flick." No word on whether there will be an official soundtrack release yet. If I get word, one way or another, I'll definitely post here on it. Below is the official ASSASSIN'S CREED press release.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UBISOFT ANNOUNCES ASSASSIN'S CREED™ VIDEO GAME SCORE
COMPOSED BY AWARD-WINNING JESPER KYD

San Francisco – October 16th, 2007 – Today Ubisoft, one of the largest video game publishers, announced the score for the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed™ video game is being composed by British Academy Award winner Jesper Kyd. Players will become truly immersed into the mindset of Altair, the game's main character, and the rich environments of the game through Jesper's thematic score. The combination of epic orchestral compositions with acoustic, percussion and vocal performances delivers a deeply spiritual aesthetic with Hollywood flair. The rich and melodic palette, created exclusively for Assassin's Creed, will be discovered by players worldwide this November.

"We listened to many composers before finding the right person for Assassin's Creed. Jesper Kyd turned out to be the perfect match for the title because he is able to create epic historical pieces fused with both traditional medieval instruments and modern synth sounds," shared Jade Raymond, producer of Assassin's Creed. "For Assassin's Creed we wanted the score to capture the gruesome atmosphere of medieval warfare but also be edgy and contemporary. Jesper not only achieved this balance but also underlined the changes in gameplay and pacing in a way that immerses the player even further into the Assassin's Creed experience."

While the graphical beauty and detail of Assassin's Creed is quite evident visually, the music takes on the same level of precision and attention. Each setting within the game has its own theme and distinct musical identity, ranging from the tragedy-stricken city of Acre to the proud stoic stronghold of Damascus to the powerfully spiritual and multicultural capital of Jerusalem.
"I was inspired by the deep and engaging world of Assassin's Creed and working with the visionary team at Ubisoft Montreal was a fantastic experience," said Jesper Kyd. "It was truly refreshing to be given so much creative freedom for such a high profile blockbuster title and I believe we took it to the max."

In such instances as the surreal and hypnotic compositions that accentuate the Assassin's approach to his target, Kyd instilled his immersive style and film scoring techniques in Altair's meditation and stealth modes, while also capturing the action, combat and escape sequences with measured tone that crescendos into a fast-paced fervor.

About Assassin’s Creed

The game is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and truly experience the art of a master assassin.

In 2006, Assassin’s Creed received the Game Critics Award: Best of E3 2006 for “Best Action-Adventure Game” and swept the “Best PS3 Game” category across numerous video game websites.*

Assassin’s Creed will be available in North America at the MSRP of $59.99 with the Limited Edition priced at $69.99 – Assassin’s Creed is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB. For more information, please visit http://www.assassinscreed.com/.

*1UP “Best PS3 Game,” GameSpot “Best PLAYSTATION 3 Editors’ Choice Winner,” GameSpy “Best of E3 PS3 Game of the Show,” Games Radar “Best of E3 PLAYSTATION 3,” GameTrailers “Best of Show,” IGN “Best PS3 Game of the Show”

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified lineup of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated sales of 680 million Euros for the 2006-07 fiscal year. To learn more, please visit http://www.ubisoftgroup.com/.

© 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”, and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.